GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- Everything is in place for the Mental Health Workshop related to a National Health Plan and Mental Health Plan of Action 2014-2018 that will take place on Monday, June 23.
The workshop will take place at the Sonesta Great Bay Resort & Casino from 8:00am to 4:00pm.
The Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labour agency the Collective Prevention Services, is hosting the workshop.
Since June 2012 the initial first step was taken to develop a comprehensive integration process of leading to a National Health Plan and Mental Health Plan of Action 2014-2018. This is being done through various stakeholder consultations.
As part of Minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labour Hon. Cornelius de Weever's "Get Checked" campaign which promotes good health for all ages, mental well-being is essential in order for a person to realize their potential, cope with the normal stresses of life, work productively and contribute towards the development of their community.
The invited participants are selected government stakeholders, non-governmental organizations and general practitioners.
The first step in the process was to have baseline information on the mental health system. This was done with the World Health Organization (WHO) AIMS (Assessment Instrument for Mental Health Systems) survey in 2013.
The report was finalized last year and presented to the Minister of Public Health and is now available on the WHO website for review. Sint Maarten is listed among the countries that did the WHO-AIMS survey.
The National Mental Health Plan 2014 - 2018 and the linked Action plan are the next steps that have to be taken. The plans will allow stakeholders to improve and strengthen the mental health system on Sint Maarten.
WHO-AIMS are carried out every five years to measure the performance.
This whole process has been a collaborative process with stakeholders and the Monday workshop will continue the trend to involve stakeholders in national planning.
During the workshop stakeholders will work on identifying actions and activities as set out in the plan.